I’ve been rewatching early seasons of RHONY on Hulu to avoid real life, and I’m a little surprised by some impressions...
—Bethenny is histrionic but she really is pretty likable and relatable. A far cry from the woman who later lamented that she’s the richest homeless person in New York.
—Jill is overbearing and has a savior complex, but she doesn’t seem like the evil narcissist I remember her to be.
—Ramona has always been Ramona.
—I didn’t remember at all that Ramona instantly hated Alex and Simon, or how desperate and scheming the couple seemed during the first season. I think I may not have ever seen the first season at all because their behavior during that season has totally changed the way I think of them. I used to think of Alex as an underdog and now I see her as a total user thanks to season one.
—LuAnn has always been a pretentious jackass, but she seemed really easy to get along with and not cutting or vicious or nearly as narcissistic when she was married to the count. She is by far the biggest trainwreck of this series. She has fallen far and hit hard.
—Kelly Bensimon has a serious mental illness, something like schizoaffective disorder. She speaks in word salad and contradictions and almost never makes any sense at all. It’s creepy that she was ever cast for comic relief. During ‘Scary Island,’ when she was alternately accusing Bethenny of trying to cut her throat while she slept, Alex channeling the devil, and Gummi Bears and jelly beans, I was impressed that Sonja handled the situation so well. She told the women to stop mocking a disturbed woman and effectively brought Kelly, who seemed to be on Jupiter, down to Earth.
—Sonja was so fun and sweet!
—There was a...Cindy...??!
In summary, the RHONY producers have completely fucked up the show by either scripting the women as all alcoholics or driving them to addiction. Today, when I think of LuAnn, Sonja, Dorinda and the new blonde one, my primary association is “sloppy drunk old lady.”